Display control device, display control method, and program

ABSTRACT

A display control device includes: a reception section configured to receive a television broadcast signal; a display section configured to display video information and a thumbnail image contained in the television broadcast signal; and a control section configured to control display on the display section of the video information and the thumbnail image contained in the television broadcast signal received by the reception section. The control section causes the thumbnail image to be displayed in accordance with an order of priority.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. JP 2008-243259 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Sep. 22, 2008,the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a display control device, a displaycontrol method, and a program capable of displaying video informationcontained in a television broadcast signal and displaying a thumbnailimage in parallel with a television image.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, some television receivers are capable of displayingthumbnails obtained by reducing the size of photographs captured througha digital camera or recorded or distributed images.

The thumbnail images of the photographs or the like are displayed in theorder in which they were recorded, for example, in a specified displayarea of a television receiver.

When a thumbnail image being displayed is selected with a cursor or thelike, the photograph being displayed as the thumbnail is enlarged to adegree while being displayed on the television screen.

The thumbnail images may be displayed in parallel with a broadcast imagecontained in a television broadcast signal or a playback image.

The thumbnail images are displayed with the same brightness as thebrightness of the normal broadcast image or playback image.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-303743discloses a technique for playing a recorded video image (content).

According to the technique, images corresponding to the playing positionof the recorded content are displayed chronologically, so that when adesired thumbnail image is selected, the recorded content starts beingplayed from the playing position corresponding to the selected thumbnailimage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Since the thumbnail images are displayed in the order in which they wererecorded, for example, in a specified display area of a televisionreceiver as discussed above, however, it is difficult to displayfavorite photographs of a viewer (user), for example, as he/she desires.

Even in the case where only favorite photographs are registered forthumbnail display, the photographs are invariably displayed in the orderin which they were recorded, which is far from displaying thephotographs in the order of preference of the user and thus leaves anissue in terms of usability.

Since the thumbnail images are displayed with the same brightness as thebrightness of the normal broadcast image or playback image beingdisplayed in parallel with the thumbnail images, the thumbnail imagesmay be so conspicuous that the broadcast or playback image may not beenjoyed.

That is, if the brightness of the thumbnail images on a side of thescreen is so high, the thumbnail images may be conspicuous compared tothe broadcast image or the playback image being displayed in the centerof the screen as the main object to be viewed, which may hinder viewingthe broadcast or playback image.

In the case where setting is made in the technique for playing arecorded video image discussed above such that the first image of arecorded drama or commercial message (CM) is displayed as a thumbnailimage, the thumbnail image may indicate the title of the drama, thefirst image of the CM, or the CM itself.

This setting may be disadvantageous when a drama starred by a favoriteactor or a soccer game in which a favorite player appears, for example,is to be recorded in the following respect.

It may be difficult for the user to determine whether or not the videoimage starred by his/her favorite actor, for example, was successfullyrecorded on the basis of the thumbnail image indicating the title of thedrama or the CM.

Thus, there is a desire to display a thumbnail image in such aneffective manner that matches the status of use.

It is therefore desirable to provide a display control device, a displaycontrol method, and a program capable of displaying a thumbnail image insuch an effective manner that matches the status of use.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a display control device including: a reception sectionconfigured to receive a television broadcast signal; a display sectionconfigured to display video information and a thumbnail image containedin the television broadcast signal; and a control section configured tocontrol display on the display section of the video information and thethumbnail image contained in the television broadcast signal received bythe reception section, in which the control section causes the thumbnailimage to be displayed in accordance with an order of priority.

Preferably, the control section determines the order of priority inaccordance with the number of accesses.

Preferably, the control section causes the thumbnail image to bedisplayed in accordance with the order of priority determined inaccordance with an order of preference.

Preferably, the control section causes a plurality of thumbnail imagesto be displayed in a preset display area in accordance with the order ofpriority.

Preferably, the control section forms a main display area in which thevideo image is to be displayed in the display section and a sub displayarea in which the thumbnail images are to be displayed in parallel withthe main display area; and causes the thumbnail images to be displayedin the sub display area such that a thumbnail image with a higher orderof priority is positioned closer to the main display area.

Preferably, the control section forms a main display area in which thevideo image is to be displayed in the display section and first andsecond sub display areas in which the thumbnail images are to bedisplayed in parallel with and on both sides of the main display area;and causes the thumbnail images to be displayed in at least one of thefirst and second sub display areas such that a thumbnail image with ahigher order of priority is positioned closer to the main display area.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a display control method including the steps of: receiving atelevision broadcast signal; displaying video information contained inthe received television broadcast signal on a display section; anddisplaying a thumbnail image in accordance with an order of priority onthe display section on which the video information is being displayed.

According to a third embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a program for causing a computer to execute a display controlprocess including the steps of: receiving a television broadcast signalthrough a reception section; displaying video information contained inthe television broadcast signal on a display section; and displaying athumbnail image in accordance with an order of priority on the displaysection on which the video information is being displayed.

According to the present invention, the reception section receives atelevision broadcast signal, and the display section displays a videoimage contained in the television broadcast signal.

The control section causes the display section to display a thumbnailimage of a photograph or the like in parallel with the video image.

The control section causes the thumbnail image to be displayed inaccordance with the order of priority.

According to the present invention, it is possible to display athumbnail image in such an effective manner that matches the status ofuse.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of adisplay control device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 shows the outline of a display device of the display controldevice according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a facerecognition/recording section according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a portion of an OSD controlcircuit according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary screen displayed on the display device withthumbnail display;

FIG. 6A shows an exemplary screen with thumbnail display, showing astate before brightness adjustment;

FIG. 6B shows an exemplary screen with thumbnail display, showing astate after brightness adjustment;

FIG. 7A is a first view illustrating a cursor setting operation of acursor control function section according to the embodiment, showing acursor in the initial state;

FIG. 7B is a first view illustrating the cursor setting operation of thecursor control function section according to the embodiment, showing astate where the cursor has been moved;

FIG. 8 is a second view illustrating the cursor setting operation of thecursor control function section according to the embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary video image display screen on the displaydevice formed by a face-recognition image control function section;

FIG. 10A illustrates the reason that a program is recorded with facerecognition and that the first image obtained through the facerecognition is substituted for a representative image of the program asa thumbnail of the program, showing a state where the first image of arecorded video image is displayed as a thumbnail image;

FIG. 10B illustrates the reason that a program is recorded with facerecognition and that the first image obtained through the facerecognition is substituted for a representative image of the program asa thumbnail of the program, showing a state where an image of aface-recognition target specified in advance is displayed as a thumbnailimage;

FIG. 11A is a front view showing an exemplary configuration of a remotecontroller according to the embodiment;

FIG. 11B is a side view showing an exemplary configuration of the remotecontroller according to the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a first flowchart showing operation of the display controldevice according to the embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a second flowchart showing the operation of the displaycontrol device according to the embodiment; and

FIG. 14 is a third flowchart showing the operation of the displaycontrol device according to the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below withreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of adisplay control device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows the outline of a display device of the display controldevice according to the embodiment of the present invention.

A display control device 10 according to the embodiment includes adisplay device 20, a speaker 30, a television (TV) antenna 40, a controlsection 50, a remote controller 60 serving as an operating section, alight reception section 70, and a recording/playback section 80.

The display device 20 serving as a display section is a thin displaysuch as a liquid-crystal display device or an organic EL display device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the display device 20 has a wide aspect ratio. Theaspect ratio of the display device 20 is set to 16:9, for example.

The speaker 30 is controlled by the control section 50 so as to producesound on the basis of a television (TV) broadcast signal received by thecontrol section 50.

The control section 50 receives a TV broadcast signal via the TV antenna40, causes the speaker 30 to produce sound in accordance with thedecoding results of an audio signal contained in the TV broadcastsignal, and causes the display device 20 to display a broadcast image inaccordance with the decoding results of the TV broadcast signal and fora channel selected by a viewer (user).

The control section 50 according to the embodiment has various functionsdescribed below.

The control section 50 has a function of controlling display on thedisplay device 20 of video information and thumbnail images contained inthe received TV broadcast signal.

The control section 50 has a function of causing the thumbnail images tobe displayed in accordance with the order of priority.

The control section 50 has a function of determining the order ofpriority for displaying the thumbnail images in accordance with thenumber of accesses.

The control section 50 has a function of causing the thumbnail images tobe displayed in accordance with the order of priority determined inaccordance with the order of preference.

In this case, the control section 50 may have a function of initiallyapplying to the thumbnail images the order of priority determined inaccordance with the order of preference, and then reassigning to thethumbnail images the order of priority determined in accordance with thenumber of accesses when information on the number of accesses isaccumulated for an amount corresponding to a threshold or more.

The control section 50 has a function of causing a plurality ofthumbnail images to be displayed in a preset display area in accordancewith the order of priority.

The control section 50 has a function of forming a main display area inwhich the video image is to be displayed in the display device 20 and asub display area in which the thumbnail images are to be displayed inparallel with the main display area, and causing the thumbnail images tobe displayed in the sub display area such that a thumbnail image with ahigher order of priority is positioned closer to the main display area.

More specifically, the control section 50 has a function of forming amain display area in which the video image is to be displayed in thedisplay device 20 and first and second sub display areas in which thethumbnail images are to be displayed in parallel with and on both sidesof the main display area. The control section 50 additionally has afunction of causing the thumbnail images to be displayed in at least oneof the first and second sub display areas such that a thumbnail imagewith a higher order of priority is positioned closer to the main displayarea.

The control section 50 has a function of causing the thumbnail images tobe displayed with a brightness lower than the brightness of the videoinformation displayed on the main display area.

In this case, the control section 50 has a function of causing a part ofthe thumbnail images to be displayed with a higher brightness.

The control section 50 has a function of causing a thumbnail imageselected with a cursor or the like to be displayed with a higherbrightness. The control section 50 has a function of causing a selectedthumbnail image to be displayed with a higher brightness in the casewhere a plurality of thumbnail images are displayed.

The control section 50 has a function of recording the received videoinformation while performing a face recognition process.

The control section 50 has a function of substituting an image fromwhich a face is recognized for a representative image of the recordedprogram as a thumbnail image of the program.

In this case, the control section 50 substitutes the first image fromwhich the face of a face-recognition target specified in advance isrecognized for the representative image as a thumbnail image.

The control section 50 has a function of causing an image of aface-recognition target specified in advance to be displayed as athumbnail image in order to substitute an image obtained by performingface recognition on the video image being recorded for the thumbnailimage.

The control section 50 has a function of when a thumbnail image whichhas been obtained through face recognition and substituted is selected,playing a video image which is recorded in the recording/playbacksection 80 and from which the thumbnail image has been obtained.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control section 50 having the various functionsdescribed above includes a TV tuner 51 and an audio decoding circuit 52.

The control section 50 further includes a video decoding circuit 53, asuperimposition circuit 54, a face recognition/recording section 55, amicrocomputer (μ-Com) 56, and an OSD (On Screen Display) control circuit57.

The TV tuner 51 receives and demodulates a TV broadcast signal in aspecified TV broadcast channel in accordance with a command from themicrocomputer 56, and supplies an audio signal and a video signal to theaudio decoding circuit 52 and the video decoding circuit 53,respectively.

The received broadcast signal is recorded in the recording/playbacksection 80 under control performed by the microcomputer 56, and therecorded information is played to be displayed on the display device 20.

The audio decoding circuit 52 decodes the audio signal, and outputs thedecoded signal to the speaker 30.

The video decoding circuit 53 decodes the video signal under controlperformed by the microcomputer 56, and supplies the decoded signal PCTRto the superimposition circuit 54, the face recognition/recordingsection 55, and the OSD control circuit 57.

The superimposition circuit 54 superimposes a thumbnail image, a cursor,etc., as complementary information from the OSD control circuit 57 onthe video signal PCTR from the video decoding circuit 53 for display onthe display screen of the display device 20.

The superimposition circuit 54 causes the thumbnail image to bedisplayed in parallel with a playback image from the recording/playbacksection 80 in accordance with control performed by the OSD controlcircuit 57.

The face recognition/recording section 55 has a function of recordingthe received video information in the recording/playback section 80while performing a face recognition process.

The face recognition/recording section 55 supplies face-recognitionimage information IFC obtained through face recognition to the OSDcontrol circuit 57.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of the facerecognition/recording section 55 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the face recognition/recording section 55 includes aface recognition section 550.

The face recognition section 550 includes a face detection section 551,a characteristic extraction section 552, and a comparison/output section553.

The face detection section 551 detects a face image of a person as arecognition target (recognition target face image) from a movie contentas the video signal PCTR from the video decoding circuit 53.

The face detection section 551 executes a detection process fordetecting a face image of the person from the movie content for eachframe of the movie content.

Upon detecting a face image of a new person in a frame in the detectionprocess, the face detection section 551 executes a tracking process fortracking the face of the same person for that frame and subsequentframes.

The “tracking process” as used herein refers to a process fordetermining whether or not the face of the same person appears in aframe and subsequent frames, and repeatedly detecting the face of thesame person as long as it is determined that the face of the personappears.

That is, the face detection section 511 repeatedly performs a trackingprocess for tracking the face of a new person each time a face image ofa new person is detected from the movie content. Consequently, the facedetection section 551 detects one or more time-series images containingone or more face images contained in a temporally continuous trackingrange (a group of one or more temporally consecutive frames).

The characteristic extraction section 552 is an arithmetic processingunit, for example. The characteristic extraction section 552sequentially reads data on the face images detected by the facedetection section 551, and executes a process for contour extraction orthe like to detect position data or the like on the facial features suchas the eyes, the nose, and the mouth from the images.

The recording/playback section 80 as a database maintains the positiondata or the like on the features of each person specified as desired.

The comparison/output section 553 sequentially compares the positiondata on the features detected by the characteristic extraction section552 with the corresponding position data registered in therecording/playback section 80 to determine whether or not the detectedface matches a face registered in the recording/playback section 80.

If the detected face matches a registered face, the comparison/outputsection 553 supplies the face-recognition image information IFC obtainedthrough the recognition to the OSD control circuit 57.

The microcomputer 56 performs various control operations of the controlsection 50 which functions as a TV receiver in correspondence with acommand signal from the remote controller 60. The microcomputer 56changes the channel, adjusts the volume, etc., in correspondence with acommand signal from the remote controller 60.

The microcomputer 56 performs an analysis process on a signal input viathe remote controller 60.

The microcomputer 56 outputs a command for forming various informationsuch as a thumbnail image, a cursor, etc., as complementary informationand a command for OSD display to the OSD control circuit 57 inaccordance with the analysis results.

The OSD control circuit 57 generates various OSD video signals fordisplaying icons, letters, and symbols corresponding to the displayscreen in accordance with a command CMD from the microcomputer 56, andoutputs the generated signal to the superimposition circuit 54.

The OSD control circuit 57 forms various information such as a thumbnailimage, a cursor, etc., as complementary information in accordance withthe command CMD from the microcomputer 56.

The OSD control circuit 57 outputs the formed OSD video signal to thesuperimposition circuit 54.

The video image contained in the OSD video signal is superimposed on thevideo image contained in the TV image signal from the video decodingcircuit 53 by the superimposition circuit 54, and output to the displaydevice 20.

The OSD control circuit 57 has a function of causing a broadcast image,a playback image, and a thumbnail image to be displayed in apredetermined area of the display area in accordance with the commandCMD from the microcomputer 56 while a TV image is being displayed on thedisplay device 20.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a portion of the OSDcontrol circuit 57 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the OSD control circuit 57 includes a thumbnaildisplay control function section 571, an order-of-priority controlfunction section 572, a thumbnail brightness control function section573, a cursor control function section 574, and a face-recognition imagecontrol function section 575.

The thumbnail display control function section 571, theorder-of-priority control function section 572, the thumbnail brightnesscontrol function section 573, the cursor control function section 574,and the face-recognition image control function section 575 areconnected to each other through a bus 576.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 has a function ofcausing the thumbnail images to be displayed in a predetermined subdisplay area of the display area in accordance with a thumbnail displaycommand CMD from the microcomputer 56 while a TV image is beingdisplayed on the display device 20, for example.

The thumbnail display function is activated in response to the thumbnaildisplay command CMD issued by the microcomputer 56 when the user selectsa thumbnail display command key with the remote controller 60, forexample.

The order-of-priority control function section 572 causes the thumbnailimages, which are to be displayed on the display device 20 by thethumbnail display control function section 571, to be displayed inaccordance with the prescribed order of priority.

The order-of-priority control function section 572 causes the thumbnailimages to be displayed in accordance with the order of prioritydetermined in advance in accordance with the order of preference of theuser.

The order-of-priority control function section 572 determines the orderof priority for displaying the thumbnail images in accordance with thenumber of accesses.

In this case, the order-of-priority control function section 572initially applies to the thumbnail images the order of prioritydetermined in accordance with the order of preference, and thenreassigns to the thumbnail images the order of priority determined inaccordance with the number of accesses when information on the number ofaccesses is accumulated for an amount corresponding to a threshold ormore.

The order-of-priority control function section 572 causes a plurality ofthumbnail images to be displayed in a preset display area in accordancewith the order of priority.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 forms a main displayarea in which the broadcast image is to be displayed in the center ofthe display device 20, and a sub display area in which the thumbnailimages are to be displayed in parallel with the main display area.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary screen displayed on the display device 20 withthumbnail display.

In the example of FIG. 5, the thumbnail display control function section571 forms a main display area 210 in which the video image is to bedisplayed in a display area 21 of the display device 20 and first andsecond sub display areas 220, 230 in which the thumbnail images are tobe displayed in parallel with and on both sides of the main display area210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes the thumbnailimages to be displayed in at least one of the first and second subdisplay areas 220, 230 such that a thumbnail image with a higher orderof priority is positioned closer to the main display area 210.

In the example of FIG. 5, the broadcast image is displayed in the maindisplay area 210, allowing channel selection while viewing the maindisplay area 210.

Thumbnail images of various photographs are displayed in the first andsecond sub display areas 220, 230.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 defines sub displayareas 221 to 226 of two rows and three columns in the first sub displayarea 220.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the highest order of priority to be displayed in the subdisplay area 221 in the first row, for example, and in the first columnthat is closest to the main display area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the second highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 222 in the first row, for example, and in the secondcolumn that is next to the sub display area 221 closest to the maindisplay area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the third highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 223 in the first row, for example, and in the thirdcolumn that is farthest from the main display area 210.

Likewise, the thumbnail display control function section 571 causes athumbnail image with the highest order of priority to be displayed inthe sub display area 224 in the second row, for example, and in thefirst column that is closest to the main display area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the second highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 225 in the second row, for example, and in the secondcolumn that is next to the sub display area 224 closest to the maindisplay area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the third highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 226 in the second row, for example, and in the thirdcolumn that is farthest from the main display area 210.

Various forms of thumbnail display are thus possible. For example, it ispossible to group the thumbnail images into thumbnail images of familyphotographs, thumbnail images of other photographs, etc., in order todisplay the thumbnail images in accordance with the order of priorityfor each group. It is also possible to display the thumbnail images inthe sub display areas 221 to 226 simply in the order of priority.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 defines sub displayareas 231 to 236 of two rows and three columns in the second sub displayarea 230.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the highest order of priority to be displayed in the subdisplay area 231 in the first row, for example, and in the first columnthat is closest to the main display area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the second highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 232 in the first row, for example, and in the secondcolumn that is next to the sub display area 231 closest to the maindisplay area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the third highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 233 in the first row, for example, and in the thirdcolumn that is farthest from the main display area 210.

Likewise, the thumbnail display control function section 571 causes athumbnail image with the highest order of priority to be displayed inthe sub display area 234 in the second row, for example, and in thefirst column that is closest to the main display area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the second highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 235 in the second row, for example, and in the secondcolumn that is next to the sub display area 234 closest to the maindisplay area 210.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage with the third highest order of priority to be displayed in thesub display area 236 in the second row, for example, and in the thirdcolumn that is farthest from the main display area 210.

Also in this case, various forms of thumbnail display are possible. Forexample, it is possible to group the thumbnail images into thumbnailimages of family photographs, thumbnail images of other photographs,etc., in order to display the thumbnail images in accordance with theorder of priority for each group. It is also possible to display thethumbnail images in the sub display areas 231 to 236 simply in the orderof priority.

The thumbnail brightness control function section 573 reduces thebrightness of the thumbnail images displayed by the thumbnail displaycontrol function section 571 along with the broadcast image so that thethumbnail images (e.g. photographs) around the broadcast image in themain display area 210 in the center are less conspicuous than thebroadcast image.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show an exemplary screen with thumbnail display, showinga state before and after brightness adjustment, respectively.

In FIG. 6A, for example, while the main display area 210 in the centershould be displayed mainly, a thumbnail image displayed in the subdisplay area 223 of the first sub display area 220 is too bright andhence too conspicuous.

In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the thumbnail image in the subdisplay area 223 is thus displayed with its brightness reduced to belower than the brightness of the video information displayed in the maindisplay area 210.

In this example, the thumbnail images around the main display area 210in the center are displayed with a reduced brightness, as if a spotlightwere directed on the main display area 210, so as to be less conspicuousthan the main display area 210.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 8 illustrate a cursor setting operation of the cursorcontrol function section 574 according to the embodiment.

When the thumbnail display control function section 57 performsthumbnail display as shown in FIG. 5, the cursor control functionsection 574 initially positions a cursor CSL so as to surround the maindisplay area 210 in the center as shown in FIG. 7A.

After the cursor CSL is positioned at the main display area 210, thecursor control function section 574 moves the cursor CSL in thedirection indicated by a movement command CMD issued from themicrocomputer 56 in response to an upward, downward, leftward, orrightward operation of a movement command switch of the remotecontroller 60.

At this time, only a thumbnail image in a sub display area to which thecursor CSL has been moved is displayed with an increased brightness withthe brightness of the main display area 210 in the center reduced.

When the cursor CSL is moved to the sub display area 222 of the firstsub display area 220, for example, and a determination key of the remotecontroller 60 is operated, the following process is performed.

When the determination key is operated, the thumbnail display controlfunction section 571 causes a thumbnail image selected with thedetermination key to be displayed as enlarged over the main display area210 in the center as shown in FIG. 8.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 causes a thumbnailimage selected with the cursor CSL to be displayed with an increasedbrightness.

The face-recognition image control function section 575 receives theface-recognition image information IFC supplied from the facerecognition/recording section 55, and substitutes an image from which aface is recognized for a representative image of the recorded program asa thumbnail image of the recorded program.

The face-recognition image control function section 575 substitutes thefirst image from which the face of a face-recognition target specifiedin advance is recognized for the representative image as a thumbnailimage.

The face-recognition image control function section 575 causes an imageof a face-recognition target specified in advance to be displayed as athumbnail image in order to substitute an image obtained by performingface recognition on the video image being recorded for the thumbnailimage.

When a thumbnail image which has been obtained through face recognitionand substituted is selected, the face-recognition image control functionsection 575 plays a video image which is recorded in therecording/playback section 80 and from which the thumbnail image hasbeen obtained.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary video image display screen on the displaydevice 20 formed by the face-recognition image control function section575.

The face-recognition image control function section 575 forms a videoplayback area 240 and a sub display area 250 in the display area 21 ofthe display device 20.

The video playback area 240 is formed to occupy about three- tofour-fifths the size of the display area 21. A video image recorded inthe recording/playback section 80 is played to be displayed in the videoplayback area 240.

Eight thumbnail display areas 251 to 258 are formed in the thumbnaildisplay area 250. Images of a face-recognition target specified inadvance are displayed in the thumbnail display areas 251 to 258 asthumbnail images.

The face-recognition image control function section 575 causes an imageof a face-recognition target specified in advance to be displayed as athumbnail image in order to substitute an image obtained by performingface recognition on the video image being recorded for the thumbnailimage.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the reason that a program is recorded withface recognition and that the first image obtained through the facerecognition is substituted for a representative image of the program asa thumbnail of the program.

In the case where setting is made such that the first image of arecorded drama or commercial message (CM) is displayed as a thumbnailimage, the thumbnail image may indicate the title of the drama, thefirst image of the CM, or the CM itself as shown in FIG. 10A.

This setting may be disadvantageous when a drama starred by a favoriteactor or a soccer game in which a favorite player appears, for example,is to be recorded in the following respect.

It may be difficult for the user to determine whether or not the videoimage starred by his/her favorite actor, for example, was successfullyrecorded on the basis of the thumbnail image indicating the title of thedrama or the CM.

In the embodiment, thus, a program is recorded with face recognition,and the first image obtained through the face recognition is substitutedfor a representative image of the program as a thumbnail of the programas shown in FIG. 10B, in order that a thumbnail image is displayed insuch an effective manner that matches the status of use.

This makes it easy to confirm that a program in which a desired personappears has been successfully recorded.

The remote controller 60 has a function of transmitting a command forselecting the channel, a command regarding various display control for aball game or the like, etc., to the microcomputer 56 of the controlsection 50 wirelessly via infrared light or the like.

When the user operates the remote controller 60, an infrared commandsignal for commanding various operation of the control section 50, whichfunctions as a TV receiver, corresponding to the operation is input tothe light reception section 70, converted into an electrical signal, andin turn input to the microcomputer 56.

In the case where the command signal from the remote controller 60 is toselect a predetermined TV broadcast station, the microcomputer 56outputs a channel selection command corresponding to the command signalto the TV tuner 51.

In the case where the command signal from the remote controller 60 is toperform various display control for a ball game or the like, themicrocomputer 56 outputs a command CMD corresponding to the commandsignal to the OSD control circuit 57.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show an exemplary configuration of the remotecontroller 60 according to the embodiment. FIGS. 11A and 11B show afront view and a side view, respectively, of the remote controller 60.

The remote controller 60 includes a power switch 61, a channel up/downswitch 62, and a volume up/down switch 63.

The power switch 61 is operated to turn on and off the TV receiver.

The channel up/down switch 62 is operated to tune to a TV broadcastchannel next (or previous) to the currently selected channel.

The volume up/down switch 63 is operated to increase (or reduce) thevolume of the audio output.

Numeric keys (not shown) are arranged in the remote controller 60. Thenumeric keys are operated to tune to a TV broadcast station, forexample, corresponding to the number of an operated key.

The remote controller 60 further includes a cross stick switch section64, a first function on/off switch 65 for a thumbnail image displayfunction, and a second function on/off switch 66 for a recordingfunction.

The cross stick switch section 64 includes a surrounding ring part 641and a push button 642 in the center.

The ring part 641 are divided into four switch portions thatrespectively function as up, down, left, and right keys for commandingthe cursor CSL to move upward, downward, leftward, and rightward.

The push button 642 may be used as a determination key for causing athumbnail image selected with the cursor CSL to be selectivelydisplayed.

The recording/playback section 80 records a received video image throughthe face recognition/recording section 55.

The recording/playback section 80 plays a recorded video image inaccordance with a command from the OSD control circuit 57.

The recording/playback section 80 as a database stores information on aperson as a face-recognition target such as the face, name, etc., of afavorite actor, athlete, etc. registered in advance.

The operation of the display control device 10 according to theembodiment is now described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 12to 14.

As shown in FIG. 12, the user operates the power switch 61 of the remotecontroller 60 to turn on the display control device 10 (ST1), and thenoperates the numeric keys or the channel up/down switch 62 to select apredetermined TV broadcast channel (ST2).

A command signal from the remote controller 60 is thus input to themicrocomputer 56 via the light reception section 70 arranged in thecontrol section 50.

In response to the input command signal, the microcomputer 56 outputs achannel selection command for the specified TV broadcast channel inwhich a soccer game, for example, is broadcast to the TV tuner 51. Inresponse to the channel selection command, the TV tuner 51 selects thepredetermined TV broadcast channel to output an audio signal and a videosignal to the audio decoding circuit 52 and the video decoding circuit53, respectively.

The video signal is decoded by the video decoding circuit 53, and thendisplayed on the display device 20 via the superimposition circuit 54.The audio decoding circuit 52 decodes the audio signal, and outputs thedecoded signal to the speaker 30.

As described above, a TV image of the soccer game is displayed on thedisplay device 20 (ST3), and a TV audio signal is output from thespeaker 30.

The video signal PCTR decoded by the video decoding circuit 53 issupplied to the face recognition/recording section 55.

If the user operates the first function on/off switch 65 of the remotecontroller 60 to issue a thumbnail display command, for example, thethumbnail display control function section 571 performs the followingprocesses.

The thumbnail display control function section 571 forms a main displayarea 210 in which the video image is to be displayed in the center ofthe display area 21 of the display device 20 in accordance with thethumbnail display command CMD from the microcomputer 56. —{ }—Thethumbnail display control function section 571 then forms first andsecond sub display areas 220, 230 in which the thumbnail images are tobe displayed in parallel with and on both sides of the main display area210 (ST5).

Then, the order-of-priority control function section 572 causes thethumbnail images, which are to be displayed on the display device 20 bythe thumbnail display control function section 571, to be displayed inaccordance with the prescribed order of priority (ST6).

The thumbnail brightness control function section 573 reduces thebrightness of the thumbnail images displayed by the thumbnail displaycontrol function section 571 along with the broadcast image so that thethumbnail images (e.g. photographs) around the broadcast image in themain display area 210 in the center are less conspicuous than thebroadcast image (ST7).

The thumbnail images are displayed with a reduced brightnessirrespective of whether or not the thumbnail images are displayed inaccordance with the order of priority.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the thumbnail images are displayed, the cursorcontrol function section 574 positions the cursor CSL at the maindisplay area 210 (ST8).

If the user commands to move the cursor CSL with the up, down, left, andright keys of the remote controller 60, a movement command CMD from themicrocomputer 56 is input to the OSD control circuit 57 (ST9).

Consequently, the cursor control function section 574 moves the cursorCSL in the direction indicated by the movement command CMD issued fromthe microcomputer 56 in response to an upward, downward, leftward, orrightward operation of a movement command switch of the remotecontroller 60 through the superimposition circuit 54 (ST10).

If the user commands to determine the selection with the push button 642of the cross stick switch section 64 of the remote controller 60, anenlarged display command CMD from the microcomputer 56 is input to theOSD control circuit 57 (ST11).

Consequently, the cursor control function section 574 causes a thumbnailimage selected with the cursor CSL in accordance with the enlargeddisplay command CMD from the microcomputer 56 to be displayed asenlarged in accordance with an operation of a zoom switch of the remotecontroller 60 through the superimposition circuit 54 (ST12).

Then, a thumbnail image selected with the determination key is displayedas enlarged over the main display area 210 in the center as shown inFIG. 8.

If the user issues an enlarged display cancellation command through theremote controller 60, an enlarged display cancellation command CMD fromthe microcomputer 56 is input to the OSD control circuit 57 (ST13).

Upon receiving the enlarged display cancellation command CMD from themicrocomputer 56, the cursor control function section 574 stops theenlarged display of the thumbnail image, and switches the main displayarea 210 to normal display of the video image (ST14).

When the user operates the second function on/off switch 66 for arecording function, for example, a broadcast image starts being recorded(ST15).

When recording is started, the face recognition/recording section 55records the received video information in the recording/playback section80 while performing a face recognition process (ST16).

The face recognition/recording section 55 supplies face-recognitionimage information IFC obtained through face recognition to the OSDcontrol circuit 57.

The face-recognition image control function section 575 of the OSDcontrol circuit 57 forms a video playback area 240 and a sub displayarea 250 in the display area 21 of the display device 20.

The video playback area 240 is formed to occupy about three- tofour-fifths the size of the display area 21. A video image recorded inthe recording/playback section 80 is played to be displayed in the videoplayback area 240.

Eight thumbnail display areas 251 to 258, for example, are formed in thethumbnail display area 250. Images of a face-recognition targetspecified in advance are displayed in the thumbnail display areas 251 to258 as thumbnail images (ST17).

The face-recognition image control function section 575 of the OSDcontrol circuit 57 receives the face-recognition image information IFCsupplied from the face recognition/recording section 55, and substitutesan image from which a face is recognized for a representative image ofthe recorded program as a thumbnail image of the program (ST18).

The face-recognition image control function section 575 substitutes thefirst image from which the face of a face-recognition target specifiedin advance is recognized for the representative image as a thumbnailimage. The face-recognition image control function section 575 causes animage of a face-recognition target specified in advance to be displayedas a thumbnail image in order to substitute an image obtained byperforming face recognition on the video image being recorded for thethumbnail image.

When a thumbnail image which has been obtained through face recognitionand substituted is selected, the face-recognition image control functionsection 575 plays a video image which is recorded in therecording/playback section 80 and from which the thumbnail image hasbeen obtained.

As described above, the control section 50 according to the embodimenthas various functions described below.

The control section 50 has a function of controlling display on thedisplay device 20 of video information and thumbnail images contained inthe received TV broadcast signal.

The control section 50 has a function of causing the thumbnail images tobe displayed in accordance with the order of priority.

The control section 50 has a function of determining the order ofpriority for displaying the thumbnail images in accordance with thenumber of accesses.

The control section 50 has a function of causing the thumbnail images tobe displayed in accordance with the order of priority determined inaccordance with the order of preference.

In this case, the control section 50 may have a function of initiallyapplying to the thumbnail images the order of priority determined inaccordance with the order of preference, and then reassigning to thethumbnail images the order of priority determined in accordance with thenumber of accesses when information on the number of accesses isaccumulated for an amount corresponding to a threshold or more.

The control section 50 has a function of causing a plurality ofthumbnail images to be displayed in a preset display area in accordancewith the order of priority.

According to the embodiment, it is thus possible to display favoritephotographs of a viewer (user), for example, as he/she desires.

That is, according to the embodiment, it is possible to displaythumbnail images in the order of preference of the user, which isadvantageous in terms of usability.

The control section 50 has a function of causing the thumbnail images tobe displayed with a brightness lower than the brightness of the videoinformation displayed on the main display area.

In this case, the control section 50 has a function of causing a part ofthe thumbnail images to be displayed with a higher brightness.

The control section 50 has a function of causing a thumbnail imageselected with a cursor or the like to be displayed with a higherbrightness. The control section 50 has a function of causing a selectedthumbnail image to be displayed with a higher brightness in the casewhere a plurality of thumbnail images are displayed.

According to the embodiment, the thumbnail images are displayed with abrightness lower than the brightness of the normal broadcast image orplayback image being displayed in parallel with the thumbnail images. Itis thus possible to prevent the thumbnail images from being soconspicuous that the broadcast or playback image may not be enjoyed.

That is, it is possible to prevent the thumbnail images on a side of thescreen from being conspicuous compared to the broadcast image in thecenter as the main object to be viewed, reducing the possibility thatviewing of the video image is hindered.

The control section 50 has a function of recording the received videoinformation while performing a face recognition process.

The control section 50 has a function of substituting an image fromwhich a face is recognized for a representative image of the recordedprogram as a thumbnail image of the program.

In this case, the control section 50 substitutes the first image fromwhich the face of a face-recognition target specified in advance isrecognized for the representative image as a thumbnail image.

The control section 50 has a function of causing an image of aface-recognition target specified in advance to be displayed as athumbnail image in order to substitute an image obtained by performingface recognition on the video image being recorded for the thumbnailimage.

The control section 50 has a function of when a thumbnail image whichhas been obtained through face recognition and substituted is selected,playing a video image which is recorded in the recording/playbacksection 80 and from which the thumbnail image has been obtained.

According to the embodiment, it is thus easy for the user to determinewhether or not the video image starred by his/her favorite actor, forexample, was successfully recorded on the basis of the thumbnail imagewhich does not indicate the title of the drama or the CM.

The method described in detail above may be implemented as a programthat includes procedures corresponding to the steps described above andthat is executable by a computer such as a CPU.

Such a program may be stored in a storage medium such as a semiconductormemory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a floppy (registeredtrademark) disk so as to be accessed and executed by a computer intowhich the storage medium is loaded.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display control device comprising: a receptionsection configured to receive a television broadcast signal; a displaysection configured to display video information and a thumbnail imagecontained in the television broadcast signal; and a control sectionconfigured to control display on the display section of the videoinformation and the thumbnail image contained in the televisionbroadcast signal received by the reception section, wherein the controlsection causes a plurality of thumbnail images to be displayed inaccordance with an order of priority, wherein the control section formsa main display area in which a video image of the video information isto be displayed in the display section and a sub display area in whichthumbnail images are to be displayed in parallel with the main displayarea, causes the thumbnail images to be displayed in the sub displayarea such that an order of priority of a thumbnail image is increasingfrom a position in the sub display area farthest from the main displayarea to a position in the sub display area closest to the main displayarea, reassigns to the thumbnails to be displayed in the sub displayarea having the order of priority determined in accordance with an orderof preference of a user the order of priority determined in accordancewith a number of accesses, and in response to detecting a selected oneof the thumbnail images in the sub display area, causes an enlargedversion of the selected thumbnail image to be displayed in the maindisplay area in place of the video image, wherein the thumbnail imagesremain displayed in the sub display area.
 2. The display control deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the control section causes the thumbnailimage to be displayed in accordance with the order of prioritydetermined in accordance with an order of preference.
 3. The displaycontrol device according to claim 2, wherein the control section causesa plurality of thumbnail images to be displayed in a preset display areain accordance with the order of priority.
 4. The display control deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein the control section forms first and secondsub display areas in which the thumbnail images are to be displayed inparallel with and on both sides of the main display area; and causes thethumbnail images to be displayed in at least one of the first and secondsub display areas such that a thumbnail image with a higher order ofpriority is positioned closer to the main display area.
 5. A displaycontrol method comprising the steps of: receiving a television broadcastsignal; displaying video information contained in the receivedtelevision broadcast signal on a display section; displaying a thumbnailimage in accordance with an order of priority on the display section onwhich the video information is being displayed, wherein a main displayarea in which a video image of the video information is to be displayedis formed in the display section and a sub display area in whichthumbnail images are to be displayed are formed in parallel with themain display area, wherein the thumbnail images are displayed in the subdisplay are such that an order of priority of a thumbnail image isincreasing from a position in the sub display area farthest from themain display area to a position in the sub display area closest to themain display area, wherein the thumbnails displayed in the sub displayarea having the order of priority determined in accordance with an orderof preference of a user are reassigned the order of priority determinedin accordance with a number of accesses; and in response to detecting aselected one of the thumbnail images in the sub display area, causing anenlarged version of the selected thumbnail image to be displayed in themain display area in place of the video image, wherein the thumbnailimages remain displayed in the sub display area.
 6. The display controlmethod according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of thumbnail images aredisplayed in a preset display area in accordance with the order ofpriority.
 7. The display control method according to claim 6, wherein afirst and second sub display areas in which the thumbnail images are tobe displayed are formed in parallel with and on both sides of the maindisplay area; and the thumbnail images are displayed in at least one ofthe first and second sub display areas such that a thumbnail image witha higher order of priority is positioned closer to the main displayarea.
 8. A non-transitory storage medium on which is recorded a programfor causing a computer to execute a display control process comprisingthe steps of: receiving a television broadcast signal through areception section; displaying video information contained in thetelevision broadcast signal on a display section; displaying a thumbnailimage in accordance with an order of priority on the display section onwhich the video information is being displayed, wherein a main displayarea in which a video image of the video information is to be displayedis formed in the display section and a sub display area in whichthumbnail images are to be displayed are formed in parallel with themain display area, wherein the thumbnail images are displayed in the subdisplay area such that an order of priority of a thumbnail image isincreasing from a position in the sub display area farthest from themain display area to a position in the sub display area closest to themain display area, and wherein the thumbnails displayed in the subdisplay area having the order of priority determined in accordance withan order of preference of a user are reassigned the order of prioritydetermined in accordance with a number of accesses; and in response todetecting a selected one of the thumbnail images in the sub displayarea, causing an enlarged version of the selected thumbnail image to bedisplayed in the main display area in place of the video image, whereinthe thumbnail images remain displayed in the sub display area.
 9. Thedisplay control device of claim 1, wherein the control section causesthe thumbnail images in the sub display area to be displayed with adisplay appearance different from a display appearance of the maindisplay area.
 10. The display control device of claim 9, wherein thedisplay appearance is brightness.
 11. The display control method ofclaim 5, wherein the control section causes the thumbnail images in thesub display area to be displayed with a display appearance differentfrom a display appearance of the main display area.
 12. The displaycontrol method of claim 11, wherein the display appearance isbrightness.
 13. The display control device of claim 1, wherein thethumbnail image is an image of the video information from which a faceis recognized.
 14. The display control method of claim 5, wherein thethumbnail image is an image of the video information from which a faceis recognized.